The Chicken Tikka Biryani

Firstly, I am eminently grateful for all of you who allow me to do what I love to do every single day! When I decided to lay the first stone in 2016, I never dreamed my food blog would turn out as good as prodigious. When I look back to some of my fan’s recipe requests and my popular recipes to see which one made it to top 15, it pushes me to try something new and different with food. I’m completely flabbergast at where my little hobby has taken me. None of it would be possible without all The Hoggerz fans trying and sharing my recipes, A huge THANKYOU! If you’re new here, this is always a great place to start!

I have decided to try something a little different with tikka recipe and give it a new angle this cold winter nights. Everyone heartily adores the smells and taste of tikka in my house, I have been getting tons of requests that fits in this newly developed recipe, which you can see here I thought to give a try this week and see how it goes. If you too have requests for anything in particular such as a vegetarian meal, gluten-free, kid friendly, freezer friendly, low carb, slow cooker etc let me know! For all you tikka lovers, don’t worry I’m still eating my veggies and I will continue to share a variety of recipes for you’ll as I always do!

If you’re sick of hogging tikka with naans, paratha’s or indian flat bread, then tikka biryani will be a total amazeballs meal for you and family! Tikka biryani is the same smoke filled tikka recipe, but it has a lot of different techniques and ingredients. If you love experimenting in your kitchen like I do then you should try this one. Tikka biryani is a marination of flavorful indian spices, kick of food color and aromatic yogurt gravy! My husband is a huge fan of tikka flavored meal so I thought to put the rice together and steam chicken tikka with amazingly flavored yogurt curry and this was born. Enjoy this with your loved one’s on this new year's eve! If you would like to see some of the previous easy and quick chicken tikka/tandoori recipe for weekend dinner plans then simply click here!

The Chicken Tikka Biryani

Preparation Time: 60 minutes

Cooking Time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Serves: 2-3 persons

Ingredients:

2-3 Chicken pieces, as we are a family of two I have prepared this recipe with minimal elements, you can double the quantity as needed.

1 cup basmati rice

1 cup whisk, greek yogurt

½ cup fried onion

2 sliced tomatoes

1 cup cooking oil

1 teaspoon ginger paste

1 teaspoon garlic paste

1 tablespoon red chili powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon black pepper powder

½ teaspoon hot spice powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon cumin powder

¼ teaspoon fennel seeds powder
1 big cardamom

2-3 cloves

½ inch cinnamon piece

¼ teaspoon orange food color

1 piece of charcoal, for smoky flavor

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons cilantro

2-3 slit green chilies

Salt to taste

Method:

• Let’s marinate the chicken first, In a bowl, marinate chicken pieces with lemon juice, 1 teaspoon ginger paste, 1 teaspoon garlic paste, ½ tablespoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon hot spice powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper powder, orange food color and salt to taste. Mix well and keep aside for 30 minutes or 2 hours.
• In a non stick pan, heat cooking oil and cook the marinated chicken pieces undisturbed for 10-15 minutes until it becomes tender and little crisp from outsides. You can either grill, barbecue or bake the marinated chicken pieces. Drizzle cooking oil over the chicken when needed.
• Once the chicken absorbs all the flavors and gets evenly tender, give smoke with burnt coal and cover the pan for at least 15 minutes so that the chicken turn out to be smoky!
• Meanwhile, In another pan, heat ¼ cup cooking oil and fry half moon sliced onions until golden brown, add 2-3 cloves, ½ inch cinnamon piece, 1 big cardamom, sliced tomatoes, add ½ teaspoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon fennel seeds powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper powder and cook on medium flame.
• Now add ½ cup greek yogurt and fry or bhuno until the gravy forms a smooth and thick paste. Add chopped cilantro and 2-3 slit green chilies and cover the pan, allow it to cook for 3-5 minutes on a low flame.
• Add roasted chicken tikka pieces in the gravy and mix well. Adjust the seasoning and salt of the gravy as needed.
• In a saucepan, add basmati rice in 2-3 cups of boiling water, add 2 teaspoons of salt and steam for 2-3 minutes until the rice is half cooked. Immediately strain the rice and discard all the water.
• In a pot, drizzle cooking oil and 3 tablespoons of water, layer half cooked rice and spread the chicken gravy on the top of rice spread. Add the remaining rice all over the gravy and make layers, lower the heat and cook covered for 10-15 minutes until the rice is completely steamed.
• Serve hot without breaking the rice and chicken pieces. Tikka biryani tastes best with plain yogurt raita. Enjoy!

Tea-Time Zucchini & Onion Fritters

Winter has outstretched its stay, here winter is much like summer, it has a variable temperament, its fickleness is its chief facet, although my favorite season. I have come to appreciate its turn, there is something charming in the redolence of air, the bareness of the trees, a crisp and tonic, cold morning with silvery sunlight and sometimes the gray tones of astringent winter marries well with the evening delights of warm slow-cooker soups or delicate fritters with a milky latte. Winter and rainy days naturally foster the hankering for fritters as they are crisp, healthy and unbelievably light, low calorie veggie delight for a tea time snack. I like adding different patterns of veggies and flavoring fritters so that my hubby dearest happily tucks in veggies without persnickety about the insides.

Chicken Cheese Balls / Chicken And Cheese Shots

Juggling invariably with recipes into something memorable when you have high quality ingredients made with love from cheese. With a wide range of offerings, including mild or sharp cheddar, mozzarella, ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Swiss, American, Mexican and more. Cheddar cheese is available as cubes, shreds, chunks, slices filled up with the pure goodness of creamy texture to satisfy individual taste of snacks, appetizers and finger licking bites. Add a little new excitement in your menu items of holiday meals with this palatable and flavorsome recipe of crispy and delicate cheese and chicken shots that uses either chunks or shreds of cheddar! You can make pretty much balls and refrigerate it for future use, especially when you get home from work, reach for a healthy option to snack on junk food that you can get on the table quickly to satisfy your hunger while you prepare the main meal.

If you're potato lover and cheese fanatic, this cheese balls recipe might change your bad day. Cheese just gets melted in our mouth, giving an exact and best filling of boiled elements with delicate crisp coating. For this recipe, I have used shredded chicken, mashed potatoes and herbs but the possibilities are endless. You could add whichever blanched vegetables, sweet corn, bell pepper and herbs you like. Serve at a dinner party with your favorite drinks or just as a Sunday treat! This is easily one of my top simple snacks and what makes it so great is that it looks more complicated than it actually is!

Chicken Cheese Balls / Chicken And Cheese Shots

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 2-3 persons

Ingredients:

1 cup boiled, shredded chicken breast

2 large size boiled, peeled and mashed potatoes

1 cup shredded cheese or 3-4 cheese slices

2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise

3-4 green chilies

1 teaspoon ginger paste

1 teaspoon garlic paste

1 tablespoon black pepper powder

1 egg, beaten

1-2 cups bread crumbs

1 bread slice

Salt to taste

Method:

• In a pan, add 2 cups of water, chicken breast, 1 teaspoon garlic paste, 1 teaspoon ginger paste, 4 green chilies and salt, cook until the chicken is succulent and water dries away.
• Bring down the mixture to room temperature and roughly shred the chicken mixture.
• In a blender, add the shredded chicken mixture, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon black pepper powder, 1 slice of bread and granule the mixture properly.
• In a large bowl, add the softened and mashed potatoes, blended chicken mixture, cheddar and mix well. Taste and balance the seasoning in your own way.
• Make medium size balls from the mixture and dip each ball into beaten egg and then coat one-by-one in bread crumbs. Coat the balls from all sides in a fun way by simply adding crumbs in a shallow bowl and later coat each ball by gently rolling the shallow bowl of bread crumbs and its done!
• Simply refrigerate the balls at this stage if you wish to eat them later or heat cooking oil in a frying pan, add the balls and fry until golden brown and crisp in texture. Drain all the excessive oil and serve hot with any dip you like!

I hope you enjoyed making this recipe. I’d love to see your recipe pictures if you decide to use, you can tag me in them on twitter @TheHoggerz or on Instagram simply @thehoggerzofficial 

Kidney Beans Curry / Rajma Masala Recipe

It’s a well-known fact that north Indians love rajma chawal, my bff has punjabi heritage and it is here that I first witnessed being happily scooped up kidney beans, years later when I got married or discovered that he has a similar love for rice, when it comes to Pakistani food he loves the intensive biryani with a heady masala base, a simple and judiciously spiced chicken pulav or even a gentle veg pulav. He is partial to schezwan fried rice, singaporean rice, shashlik fried rice and even Spanish prawn rice, it should never come to a surprise that he took instantly to spice up kidney beans perfectly balanced with steamed rice.

Dark amber, smooth, silky and the hue of cherry - kidney beans or rajma may sound unfamiliar to those of south Asian origin, a restorative rice and lentil dish with aromatics that not only tastes good but is healthy at the same time. Kidney beans are associated with lunch and features rice that goes well with the thick gravy of flavors, it is finished with chopped cilantro, some versions include cream to provide thicker texture, my first taste of rajma chawal was when her mama served it to us for lunch at her house in breach candy in early 2010. The origin of Rajma or red kidney beans is disputed with one line of thought that it has come from Mexico and Guatemala, soon became the regular diet of north Indians as it is a good source of proteins and cholesterol lowering fiber!

I have been making it since I have been married and given it a regular appearance on our dinner table, I have always cooked it from the memory of my first taste and from my understanding of the sub-continent cooking process, hence I start by soaking beans overnight for a quick start and allowing it to boil for a thick broth laced with the subtle scent of bay leaf and all spice powder, it is a broth based on extracting the essence of the red kidney beans. You can even use canned beans to cut down the time but my choice by default lies in dry beans as comparatively it is simple with zero preservatives and has a lot of nutritional value. If you’re beans lover like me, you’ll love these!

Kidney Beans Curry / Rajma Masala Recipe 

Preparation Time: 6-8 hours

Cooking Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 10 hours

Serves: 3-4 persons

Ingredients:

1 cup Red kidney beans/Rajma, soaked overnight

2 tablespoons cooking oil

2-3 tablespoons fried onions

1 teaspoon garlic paste

1 teaspoon ginger paste

1 cup tomato puree

1 tablespoon red chili flakes

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon all spice powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

¼ teaspoon raw mango powder

¼ teaspoon cumin seeds

1 bay leaf

3-4 cloves

2 green chilies

2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro

A pinch of asafetida

Salt to taste

Directions:

• Wash and throw away the water of soaked kidney beans or rajma and rinse with fresh water.
• In a pot, add kidney beans with 2-3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt, allow it to boil until the beans turn soft and delicate in your mouth.
• In a blender, add 4-5 roughly chopped tomatoes, 2-3 tablespoons fried onions and 2 green chilies, blend into a smooth texture.
• In a non-stick wok, heat cooking oil and add ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 bay leaf, 3-4 cloves and ginger-garlic paste, let it fry for a few seconds until fragrant. Transfer the tomato paste and allow it to cook until its raw smell vanishes into thin air.
• Add 1 teaspoon red chili powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon all spice or garam masala powder and mix well. Cook or bhuno until the oil oozes out from the mixture. Add raw mango powder and a pinch of asafetida or hing.
• Add boiled kidney beans with the remaining stock of beans, the water which was left while boiling beans as it has all the flavor and juices of kidney beans. Allow it to cook covered for 10-15 minutes over a medium flame until the rajma absorbs all the hidden flavors of the gravy.
• Once the gravy becomes thick and yummy, adjust the salt and add chopped cilantro. Mash the beans a little bit with the help of the spatula. Serve hot with flat bread or steamed rice and mango pickle. Hope you enjoy digging!
• You can also add cream, butter or ghee for richer and classic gravy.

Crispy Chicken Broast Recipe For Quick And Delicious Dinner

Broccoli, potatoes and fried chicken are one of my golden favorites fuss free, a huge kitchen time saver and an easy going weekend repast in the cold months when we are hungry and need dinner on the table quick. Broast sauce made from boiled potatoes, mayonnaise and simple elements paired with protein pack chicken developing delicious taste in every bite. Deep fried chicken broast is a comfort dish in my home, adding coleslaw is a quick and easy way to get more veggies into family’s diet without complaints.

Broast is basically a simple process of marinating chicken and later coating the pieces with seasoned flour for the fresh and delicious blanket by deep frying them on a low heat. You can even boil the chicken pieces and coat them with seasoned flour, but I don't find it a requisite step as directly deep frying the pieces gives you the similar results like the one’s we eat at our favorite food outlets.

I have shrunk the step of pressure cooking and in lieu soaked chicken pieces in the lemon squeezy marinade to achieve intense taste and juicy insides. This is one of the easiest, quick and a very enjoyable chicken broast recipe that is simply made by following three trouble free steps and the dinner’s ready in 20 minutes. Perfect to add into your kids meal, perfect for the newbies and I‘m sure you’ll be obsessed!

Crispy Chicken Broast Recipe

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 2 persons

Ingredients:

4-5 chicken pieces, preferably with skin

2-3 cups cooking oil, for frying

1 beaten egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon paprika

1-2 cups flour or maida

¼ teaspoon mustard powder

¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash chicken pieces neatly, add 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Mix well and leave it aside for at least 10-15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, beat the eggs and add 1 tablespoon milk and mix the mixture properly.
• In a plate, mix flour or maida with 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon mustard powder and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder. Dip marinated chicken pieces, one-by-one in egg mixture and coat it evenly with seasoned flour. You can double coat the chicken pieces by again repeating the same step of dipping in egg mixture and coating with seasoned flour.
• Deep fry the chicken pieces in hot cooking oil on a low flame, Always avoid flipping the chicken pieces while it is frying otherwise the coating may turn mess. Flip them halfway after 10 minutes and let the chicken cook on the other side for another 10-15 minutes. Try to deep fry chicken pieces undisturbed.
• Once the coating turns golden brown and crispy immediately remove to a serving dish and serve hot with broast sauce and coleslaw. Enjoy!

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Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers / Shimla Mirch Recipe

I think almost each item can be stuffed or wrap to put together based on our likings of herbs, veggies, eggs or even meat. England would like traditional style stuffing of oysters or roasted meat along with sweet chestnuts while Spanish cuisine loves the addition of red sauce in their classic filling, American cuisine dish generally refer to the term dressing as the mixture is typically made from breads, rice, eggs, herbs and served with tomato sauce. Everyone has their own way of stuffing or dressing, I usually don’t prefer mince or eggs based stuffing in my veggies as I like my veggies to be the complete vegan meal. 

I have stuffed peppers or Shimla Mirch with mashed potatoes and cottage cheese for heavy stuffing with a few spices, the peppers can be either baked, deep fried, but I have just shallow fried them for a little crunch and freshness of its own flavor. It also happens to be a great meal kit to throw together; if you have it all assembled in the fridge, you can have dinner on the table as side dish in about 5 minutes! Crazy how a vegetable hubby normally wouldn’t eat can be incorporated into a likeable meal!

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers/ Shimla Mirch Love

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 2 persons

Ingredients:

2 green capsicums/shimla mirch

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium size boiled and mashed potatoes

2-3 tablespoons grated cottage cheese

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

1 tablespoon red chili flakes

½ teaspoon cumin powder 

½ teaspoon garam masala powder 

1 teaspoon dry mango powder/amchur powder or lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely chopped cilantro

1 finely chopped green chilies

3-4 curry leaves

Salt to taste

Method:

• Slice the tops of each green pepper and remove all the seeds from inside, wash and keep them aside.
• In a frying pan, add olive oil and mustard seeds, when the mustard seeds begin to sputter, add curry leaves and chopped green chilies, sauté from a minute. Add 1 tablespoon red chili flakes, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala powder, 1 teaspoon dry mango powder/amchur powder and sauté quickly on a low flame.
• Add boiled and mashed potatoes, grated cottage cheese and stir well. Add salt and adjust other seasonings, add chopped cilantro and mix the stuffing properly. Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool.
• Fill the prepared mixture into the hollow green peppers, heat olive oil in a non stick pan and place the stuffed peppers in the pan and cook covered on a low heat.
• Drizzle oil when needed and cook until its skin becomes soft, serve hot with pulav or meat bites and enjoy! 

How To Make Delicious Chicken Ginger

I hope everyone is loving my recipe’s and finds them helpful, we are just a few weeks away from Christmas and the holiday countdown has begun, isn’t this crazy! We’re a family of two, wherein I prefer vegetables and my better half would fancy non-veg cuisine, I have been making chicken dishes for him, but now that Fall is here, I wanted to try a variation with some special sharp ingredients instead. I often think up of recipe that sounds good in my head but may not always turn out great for blog worthy recipes, this chicken ginger recipe was one of those I wasn’t sure about how it would turn out. The addition of ginger as the main ingredient was amazing and the outcome never disappoints.

I love to sup ginger tea as somewhere it makes me feel fresh and rejuvenating from inside, winter reminds me of crunchy salad with ginger turmeric root dressing and ginger turmeric root halwa. When I was a kid we had a spoonful of ginger halwa after our main dish whether we like it or not. I was usually not the finicky one’s and loved the sweet and little spicy taste of the halwa while my siblings were forced to have it, because of its powerful and wonderful affects combating against the bad effects in this weather!

When added to chicken, its fresh, spicy and distinct flavor blended perfectly to create a simple yet delicious dish. I think chicken ginger is the perfect meal to comfort during winter time. Serve this with hot naan, cauliflower rice to keep the carbs low, I served it with stuffed peppers and it really balances the flavors well. Soon I will be sharing stuffed peppers recipe with you’ll.

Chicken Ginger

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 25-30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 2-3 persons

Ingredients:

½ kg boneless chicken pieces

2 roughly sliced tomatoes

2 tablespoons cooking oil

2-3 tablespoons greek yogurt

1 tablespoon garlic paste

1 tablespoon ginger paste

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 green chilies, slit

2 tablespoons ginger julienne

2-3 tablespoons ghee/clarified butter or butter

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

Salt to taste

Method:

• In a wok, heat cooking oil and add ginger and garlic paste, sauté for a few minutes and fry chicken cubes until it changes the color.
• When the chicken is no longer pink, immediately add sliced tomatoes, slit green chilies, 1 teaspoon red chili flakes, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ginger julienne and salt to taste. Allow it to cook for 8-10 minutes until the tomatoes soften and the oil oozes out.
• Add whisk greek yogurt and mix well, cook under low flame until the chicken is cooked. Splash a little water only if needed. Add butter and adjust the seasoning, garnish with chopped cilantro and ginger julienne. Enjoy!

Vegan Lentils Stew With Flat Dumplings/Dal Dhokli

Fusion is all about mixing cooking ideas into a marked outstanding dish, I have always battled in cooking Gujarati dishes as it entails a lot of patience and time from you. Done that, my favorite veg fusion recipe dal dhokli is the one I wait, crave and eat time to time again. Alas, I couldn’t learn to cook my favorite dishes from mama, but I always try to reach somewhere at her level of taste and excellence.

In Mumbai, we fitfully relish a fuse of Gujarati and Marathi traditional cuisine on our dining table to please and match the taste buds of multi-cultural elements within us. My bhabhi (sis-in-law) belongs to Pune side of city, we enjoy eating every cuisine of her specialty, dada and I would favor Marathi food over Gujarati food for a change, but dal dhokli is the only break in the pattern. Dal dhokli or Varan phal is on the cusp of Gujarati and Marathi flavors; the ingredients list is the spares as the savory dhokli is the star, garnishing elements when combined with the final output of the dish emphasizes its taste and aroma.

The recipe is the hue of sunflower and gold, I associate it with happiness, warm harmony, and it reminds me of the glossy growth of sun with the freshness of the greens in the park, albeit slightly subdued in its brightness as it is lightened with the addition of silky soft dumplings or dhokli. Dhokli are basically uncooked Indian flatbread that is cooked in a slow cooker with lentil stew, thus the fusion of two Indian recipe blends together giving a yummy and flavorful taste. 

I think this is the perfect dish for the one's who disrelish veg cuisine, as the taste of dumplings and lentil stew will keep you hooked and away from those non veg appetency. If you soak lentils overnight, then this dal dhokli recipe will become an easy task for you or you can simply put the lentils to boil for a longer time, any route you take. I recommend reading the entire recipe at least once before you start making it!

Vegan Lentils Stew With Flat Dumplings/ Dal Dhokli

Preparation Time: 8-10 hours

Cooking Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Total Time: 11 hours, 30 minutes

Serves: 4 persons

Ingredients:

½ cup split pigeon peas/ toor dal (washed and soaked overnight)

½ cup wheat flour

1 tablespoon chickpea flour

2-3 tablespoons cooking oil

1 large finely chopped onion

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 tablespoon red chili flakes

½ teaspoon coriander powder

4-5 curry leaves

3-4 slit green chilies

1 tablespoon lemon juice or raw mango powder

3-4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves

Salt to taste

3-4 cups water

Method:

• Add clean and soaked split pigeon peas in a slow cooker, put in 2 cups of water and salt to taste, leave it to boil for about 20-30 minutes on a medium heat. If you haven’t soaked the lentils night long, then boil the lentils for 1-2 hours until it is cooked evenly.
• Meantime, let’s start with the dhokli preparation, all we need to do is prepare the dough and make the Indian flat bread or tortilla like thin flat bread. In a large bowl, add ½ cup wheat flour, 1 tablespoon chickpea flour, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili flakes, ½ teaspoon coriander powder and salt to taste. Knead the dough into a smooth form with the help of water, cover the dough and keep it aside.
• When the lentils or the dal is done, let it cool down to a room temperature. In a blender, add boiled lentils and blend it into a smooth consistency.
• Heat cooking oil in a slow cooker and add mustard and cumin seeds, once they start to pop, add curry leaves, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder and slit green chilies.
• Transfer the blended lentil mixture into the slow cooker and add a cup of water, cook uncovered for about 10 minutes on medium flame.
• Meantime, make round shape balls from the dough and flatten the balls with the palms of your hand. Use a rolling pin to roll a piece into a thin shape like tortillas. On an unoiled skillet, roughly warm the flat bread on both the sides to kill the raw smell of the flour. Make sure you do not warm it completely, just a flip will do. Make two Indian flat breads and refrigerate the remaining dough using a zip lock.
• On a clean surface, place flat bread and cut it into square or diamond shape with the help of a pizza cutter. We are finally ready with our dumplings or dhokli’s!
• Straight away, drop (one-by-one) the pieces of dhokli’s into the boiling lentil stew and let it cook for a minute. Now add another batch of dhokli’s and repeat and stir occasionally. Allow the dal dhokli to cook for 20-25 minutes until the dumplings turn soft and the consitency becomes little thick, add water if needed.
• Later, add 2-3 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and salt to taste. Adjust the sweet, sour and spicy taste of the stew and serve hot with pickles. Don’t forget to garnish with chopped onions and finely chopped coriander leaves! Enjoy!

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Slow Cooker Meatballs/ Kofta curry recipe

I hope everyone had an awesome Happy Halloween, party with your little ghosts, goblins and clicking selfies! We were busy trick or treating so I had put my slow cooker to work with meat balls.

Sometimes mince curry gets boring and unexciting menu for us so I always go with a teeny-weeny modification in ordinary meal, meat balls act as a great replacement of mince curry as they are pleasantly tender and delicious in taste, it’s one of those heavy meals that we oft plate with hot Indian flat bread, the perfect meld of flavors that gets easily sucked in meat balls giving a juicy and delicate texture. This non-veg, meat balls recipe can be eaten with or without curry resulting in a marvelous tang, a great freezer friendly meal. Hubby usually removes balls from gravy and makes a fusion of burger with an extra addition of butter and cheese. He loves to hog deep fried meat balls right away so I have to make an extra lot to fulfill his hankering!

We call it as kofta as this meatloaf dish is basically packed with spices, unique aroma and of course its savory dish, in India kofta’s are basically prepared from mixed varieties of veggies, corn, cottage cheese or tofu.

These Asian inspired beefy meatballs are cooked in a simple yogurt curry with few handy spices giving a nice deep color and turning the whole look of the recipe into an inviting tempting dish. You can make them for dinner or simply serve them as an appetizer by making them half their size and setting out toothpicks for dipping into that delicious cranberry or BBQ sauce, they also wonderfully serve over steamed rice, pasta or Italian bread. Hope you enjoy!

Slow Cooker Meatballs/ Kofta curry recipe

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 60-80 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Serve: 3-4 persons

Ingredients:

½ Kg Mince meat

½ cup cooking oil

½  cup, fried onion paste

1 tablespoon garlic paste

1 tablespoon ginger paste

1 cup Greek yogurt

1-2 teaspoon roasted chickpea flour

1-2 tablespoons coriander powder

1-2 tablespoons red chili powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon all spice powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 teaspoon black pepper powder

1 teaspoon mace powder

1 teaspoon nutmeg powder

1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds

3-4 small cardamom

4-5 green chilies

2-4 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro leaves

Salt to taste
3-4 cups Water

Method:

• In a blender, add mince, 2 tablespoons fried onion paste, half cup greek yogurt, 5 green chilies, ½ teaspoon ginger paste, ½ teaspoon garlic paste, 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, roasted gram flour, ¼ tsp mace powder, ½ tablespoon salt, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 tablespoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon all spice or garam masala powder and handful of cilantro or coriander leaves.
• Blend everything into a smooth paste and make walnut size balls out of the blended mince mixture.
• Apply a little bit of cooking oil on your palms while making mince balls as the oil is slippery and keeps the meat from sticking to your skin. Apply oil all over the surface of the plate before setting the balls onto the plate.
• Lets make the gravy, in a wok, heat cooking oil and saute ½ teaspoon ginger and garlic paste for 2-3 minutes.
• When the paste changes its color to the slightly brown side, then add the fried onion paste and mix, add ½  cup Greek yogurt on a medium flame. Keep stirring the mixture until the yogurt mixes well without curdling.
• Immediately add 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ tablespoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala powder, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper powder, ¼ teaspoon mace powder, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder, 3-4 small cardamom and salt to taste.
• Bhuno the mixture for 2-3 minutes on a high-medium flame and add 2-3 cups of water. Cover and allow the mixture to cook under a low flame for 15 minutes.
• When the gravy comes to a boil, slowly and gently drop in meatballs, allow it to cook for 45-60 minutes on a low heat. In between do not stir the gravy otherwise you may end up breaking a few meat balls or kofta.
• Adjust the consistency of the gravy, seasoning and salt, add roughly chopped fresh cilantro and enjoy!

Healthy Chickpea Garbanzo Salad/ Aloo Chaat Recipe

Chickpeas make an exceptional tasty, smooth and easy hummus to be gel up with any of your favorites wraps, sushi or simply with mashed potatoes, they go really well with anything due to its classic and yummy taste. Moreover, these garbanzo beans tastes pretty delicious when blended with any rice or meat dishes, I love to gobble down chole bhatura’s and chole paneer with steam rice with gusto, they taste splendid when concocted with paneer or cottage cheese, mama makes the best spicy chole paneer every single time.

Who said chickpeas can’t taste better when served without too much effort! Well, this protein packed beans can save your day with interesting binds of taste in just 10 minutes. Take it as an evening snack or side dish or even as a salad it is a complete hit salad recipe for you! After the binge on eating chips, it's time to serve a healthy bowl of fresh chole chana chaat, chickpeas chaat or garbanzo salad! This chickpea salad is tangy, spicy, sweet and a flavorsome plate of healthy bites that fulfills my light meal cravings. I love the heat of green chilies with the crunch of sliced onions and tomatoes, the fresh aroma of cilantro and a zest of flavors truly takes the recipe to an another level. Chilled greek yogurt and tamarind sauce are later mixed with salad for a little creamy texture and lovely deep colors turning the whole dish into a special dish.

Chickpeas are high in fiber and yogurt soothes the stomach, it’s a complete all star food so what else we want? Try out not so difficult chickpea salad or chole chaat recipe at home and relish every bites of wonderful flavors, I’m sure you too will be fond of this salad soon!

Chickpeas Salad/ Aloo Chaat Recipe

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Serve: 2-3 persons

Ingredients:

1 cup boiled chickpeas/ white chole/ garbanzo beans

1 large size boiled, peeled and diced potatoes

1 medium size onion, thinly sliced

1 medium size tomato, roughly chopped

½ cup whisk greek yogurt

½ cup tamarind sauce/ chutney

1 tablespoon chaat masala powder or black salt as per the taste

1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds or zeera

1 teaspoon roasted coriander seeds

1 tablespoon red chili flakes or chopped green chilies, as per your convenience

1-2 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro

Salt to taste

Method:

• In a bowl, add boiled chickpeas and diced potatoes, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of chaat masala powder or black salt as its substitute and mix well. 
• Always soak chickpeas or white chana overnight and later boil or pressure cook it for quick results. You can also use the leftover boiled chickpeas or boiled potatoes to get this chickpeas recipe done in 10 minutes.
• Lets get back to our recipe, add 1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds or zeera, 1 teaspoon of roasted coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon red chili flakes or green chilies, 1 teaspoon sugar. Gently toss everything together and add 2-3 tablespoons of greek yogurt and 1-2 tablespoons of tamarind dip, adjust all the seasonings and add salt as needed. You can balance yogurt and tamarind dip as per your preference. 
• I have already shared tamarind dip recipe on my blog, you can refrigerate this dip for a week or two! Check out our tangy and sweet tamarind recipe here!
• Finally, add 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro and refrigerate, before serving add crushed nachos and serve chilled! Enjoy.

Make Chicken Mince With Potatoes In Just 30 Minutes!!

This is one of the much needed quick and simple keema recipe that is tummy filling and satisfying meal requiring at best minimal portion of ingredients. All, I love to do is, possibly exploring out food recipes with handy ingredients as I feel that simple yet appetizing food not only helps us cook effortlessly but it adds fun, diversion and variation in our recipe! 

Keema aloo or mince chicken is the traditional chicken recipe that is cooked by continuously bhunoing or frying the minced chicken and spices, letting all the water to dry up developing into a tender and juicy bites. As it is said “a balanced diet is a cookie in each hand” hence I have always opt for chicken keema option over meat keema due to its lower fat content!

The leftover makes a great kebabs, keema paratha’s, toppings and puff pastry fillings too! He prefers to eat keema aloo with a combination of zeera rice and salad where I like to stuff it in a soft bread roll giving a touch of burger. Go with any of the delicious bewildering fusion with the divine and exquisite mince chicken and you’ll simply love it! 

You can also try our Keema and Peas Curry recipe.

Make Chicken Mince With Potatoes In Just 30 Minutes!!

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 Minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 3-4 persons

Ingredients:

½ Kg Minced Chicken

½ cup cooking oil

2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 large tomatoes, sliced

1 tablespoon ginger paste

1 tablespoon garlic paste

1 teaspoon fresh ginger julliene 

2 tablespoons crushed red chillies 

1 tablespoon zeera or cumin seeds

½ teaspoon turmeric powder or haldi

1 tablespoon coriander powder or dhania powder

½ teaspoon all spice powder or garam masala powder

3-4 green chilies, sliced

½ cup chopped cilantro 

Salt to taste

1 cup water

Method:

• In a non-stick wok, heat cooking oil and fry sliced onions with ginger and garlic paste, fry on a medium flame until they turn golden brown in color. At once, add chicken mince and keep stirring it on a high flame until the mince changes its color. Use a wooden spatula to stir fry the mince and break it up before adding any flavorings to it.
• As soon as the water vapor and the oil seeps out, add sliced tomatoes and ginger julienne on a medium flame.
• Add 1 tablespoon red chili flakes, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 tablespoon coriander powder, 1 tablespoon cumin seeds and salt to taste. Mix everything on a high flame and adjust the seasoning, Allow it to cook on a high flame until the tomatoes are evenly reduced to form a smooth paste or masala. Whenever you have turned the heat to high flame always bhuno or fry the mixture continuously.
• Add diced potatoes and mix it well, add 1-2 cups of water and let it cook on a medium flame until the potato cubes are cooked.
• When water entirely dries away, switch the flame to high and mix in chopped coriander leaves and add slit green chilies with ½ teaspoon of all spice powder. Cook for a minute or two and serve hot with Indian flat bread or roti, zeera rice or bun.

Fresh Cocktail Fruit Trifle

Desserts featured with chilled custards, deep creamy and heavy with vine fruits or soft sweet ones with delicate arrangements, we both love a little cream or custard to mellow the heat and sweet. In India, my quondam home, December is always a wedding season, so alongside the delicious meal are trays of my favorite desserts and kulfi-falooda’s. Gulab jamun is made by merging Khoya and grated paneer, these are particular to the sub-continent, we always prefer to eat the generous bowlful from the status restaurant but I think mama makes the best! 

I always like succulent gulab jamun to be with a perfect balance of sugar, so mama wins this sweet recipe by frying the round shaped balls until they are crisp and darker in color, It gets better and better once it is dipped into an ambrosial sugary syrup or chasni. Believe me its the easy to go in one shot juicy, sweet that will just melt in your mouth like never before. Mama sometimes makes them in a round or cylindrical shapes and as it is time consuming it makes sense to make a larger batch, neatly packed in a jar and later kept refrigerated to keep through the winter. It takes several hours to make it, but it is truly worth it!

Dada would bring fresh sweets or desserts every day to satisfy our sugar craving after supper! As Gujarati and sweets are inseparable, it's a habit to end our day with yummy desserts or sweet goodies, work has almost occupied my time and hence I am not able to make any sort of Indian sweets frequently due to its lengthy cooking procedures, but how do I manage to replace my sweet cravings and satisfy my husbands needs! Well the answer to this is quick and easy to make fruit trifle. We all have a fruit tin pack lying in our refrigerator so all I need to do is make custard and jellies and layer them together for a delicious fruit trifle recipe that fulfills my uninvited sweet cravings. Eating so much sugar every time of day is bad, but eating a little of what you fancy won’t hurt you. This tempting colorful dessert is healthy, tasty and amazing blend of different layers. Try this and comment if you loved digging your spoons again and again. But don't forget to share your big bowl of dessert with your loved ones!

Fruit Trifle

Preparation Time: 30-40 minutes

Serves: 2 persons

Ingredients

1 pack of any vanilla flavored cake, I have used swiss roll

1 pack of mixed fruit tin or 1 bowl of mix chopped fruits

1 cup of any colored jelly, I have used mango flavored jelly

1 bowl of strawberry custard, any flavor of your choice

1 cup of whipped cream, I have used ready made one’s

1/2 cup sugar syrup

2 tablespoons of toasted almond slices

Method:

• Let's start with jelly preparation - In a saucepan, boil 400 ml water and mix 80g of mango jelly powder, stir the mixture continuously until jelly crystals are dissolved. Pour the complete mixture on a plate or mould and allow it to cool for 30 minutes. Later refrigerate the jelly for about 1 hour until set properly.
• With the help of a knife, loosen the sides of the jelly and slice it into cube shape.
• For Custard recipe, click here, you can use any flavor of custard powder as per your choice. Follow the step till 4th bullet.
• Let's start arranging! – In a serving dish, spread swiss roll all over its base, drizzle gentle amount of sugar syrup all over the swiss roll so that it absorbs its sweetness easily, add a layer of cubed jelly, whipped cream, almond flakes, custard and mixed fruits. You can also add walnuts if you want.
• Add another layer of custard, cubed jellies and garnish with fruits, refrigerate and serve chilled.

Another easy dessert recipe fruit trifle is ready to serve, Enjoy digging!

Vegetarian Stuffed Eggplant Recipe / Easy Baingan Recipe

Winters are back in action with fun and freezing feel around, but wait! This lovely and pleasant weather not only embosom our skin, but it offers beautiful bright colored vegetables channelizing our hunger meter. Veggies like eggplants or typically known as baingan have always been on a warm list of Indian veg food, I just love the fresh smell and taste of eggplant recipes either cooked by simply mashing, roasting or stuffing them. This pure amethyst color fruit is one of the must try vegetable that blends easily with other veggies like drumsticks, potatoes, raw banana’s and even with meat, maybe that’s why it is considered as a king of vegetables in India. This particular veggie behaves the same way like potatoes when they are cut open and kept for a longer time, by rapidly changing the white color of the inner flesh in brown color. Let me give you a quick tip, whenever you chop eggplants or potatoes, promptly soak them into salty water so that its freshness stays intact!

Stuff eggplant is a simpler version of a Gujarati dish Undhiyo that is prepared with the combination of all winter gifted vegetables with deliciously spongy fenugreek dumplings, this Indian vegetable casserole can easily win any vegetarian’s heart by its sweet, tangy, spicy taste and aromatic flavor. This time, I have simply cut down the traditional Undhiyo recipe by particularly working on the stuffing ingredients of eggplant to uplift its flavor. I love to stuff my veggies with different spices and tricks and I hope you too enjoy this little twist of cooking at home.

Vegetarian Stuffed Eggplant Recipe / Easy Baingan Recipe

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes

Total Time: 60 minutes

Serves: 3-4 persons

Ingredients:

3-4 medium size dark purple colored Eggplants

½ Cup cooking oil

3-4 finely chopped tomatoes

1 large size onions, thinly sliced into half moons

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

2 tablespoons sesame seeds or til
½ teaspoon mustard seeds or rai

2 tablespoons peanuts

2-3 tablespoons of grated fresh coconut

A pinch of fenugreek seeds or methi dana

3 tablespoons of red chili flakes

1 tablespoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 tablespoon of lemon juice or raw mango powder/ amchur powder

½ teaspoon grated jaggery

½ Cup chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon garlic paste

1 teaspoon ginger paste

Salt to taste

2 cups of water

Method:

• Wash brinjals and gently slit them so that the stem doesn’t cut off, add 1 tablespoon of salt in water and immerse these brinjals until we prepare its stuffing.
• In frying pan, add 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, 2 tablespoons peanuts, 1 tablespoon of red chili flakes, a pinch of fenugreek seeds and 2-3 tablespoons of grated coconut. Dry roast everything for a few minutes until fragrant and changes its color to a little dark shade.
• In the same pan, heat cooking oil and add thinly sliced onions and fry them for a crunchy and golden brown texture, transfer the fried onions onto the wide plate with absorbent paper and leave it aside to cool down.
• Now grind the fried onions and roasted spices together in a blender to form a smooth mush for our eggplant filling.
• In a bowl, add the blended paste, turmeric powder, lemon juice or amchur powder, chopped cilantro, jaggery and salt to taste, adjust the seasoning, sweet and sour taste of filling as per your preference.
• Now fill this stuffing into the slit eggplants and keep them aside on a plate.
• In a wok, heat cooking oil and add ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds, once they start to splutter immediately add chopped tomatoes and allow it to cook for a thicker consistency. Once the tomatoes are mashed up evenly add the remaining stuffing paste, garlic paste, ginger paste, 2 tablespoons of red chili flakes, 1 tablespoon of coriander powder and bhuno the mixture for a few minutes until the tomatoes releases oil from its sides. 
• Bhunoing is the simple and necessary technique in Indian cooking that helps the spices to cook collectively on a medium-high flame without letting the masala or spices burn, bhunoing means constantly stirring the mixture to kill the rawness of spices.
• Transfer eggplants into the pan and let it fry for 5-8 minutes, add 2 cup of water and leave it to cook for 15-20 minutes.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with steam rice or any flat bread of your choice.

Enjoy!